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Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Bravest Girl in the World

Today, I want to tell you about the bravest girl in the world. She doesn't fight demons or slay dragons. Fourteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai fights for ideas like freedom and education. She doesn't hate school like many American kids; she fought to be allowed to go to school. For years, the Taliban controlled her village of Swat Valley in Pakistan and strictly forbade girls from attending school... under penalty of death.

Malala Yousufzai, in 2009, aged 11: "I don't mind if I have to sit on the floor at school. All I want is education. And I'm afraid of no one."

When she was 11, Malala wrote a diary, reminiscent of Anne Frank's, about Taliban atrocities. She wrote pseudonymously and the BBC published her blog. The Taliban had announced a ban on girls' education and destroyed 150 schools. Malala wrote she was "afraid going to school because the Taliban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools." More than half of her classmates dropped out, a few relocating with their families to other regions. The Pakistani Taliban continued to bomb hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Malala lived.

When the Taliban was routed from the region in 2009 by a major military operation, Malala was able to reveal her true identity as the blogger who had told the world about the Taliban's imposition of harsh Islamic law on her village, as seen through a child's eyes. A Dutch organization named her as an International Children’s Peace Prize finalist for "her bravery in standing up for girls’ education rights amid rising fundamentalism when few others in Pakistan would do so." The girl whose blog promoted literacy and peace was honored by the Pakistani government with a national peace prize.

When she began her diary, Malala wanted to go to school to become a doctor; three years later, she had changed her mind. She now wants to become a politician when she grows up, to help lead her people into a better society.

Yesterday, Taliban gunmen boarded her school bus. They asked which girl was Malala Yousafzai. The students pointed her out. They watched, as a gunman aimed his pistol at her head and fired.

Across Pakistan, school children are holding prayer vigils for Malala, who at this moment lies in critical condition. Many Pakistanis, including political leaders, have expressed outrage over the assassination attempt on the ninth grader, but their religious leaders are silent. Clerics seldom criticize such attacks for fear of alienating their conservative followers or provoking reprisal from the Taliban. Citing Malala's words, a Taliban spokesman said, "She considers President Obama as her ideal leader. Malala is the symbol of the infidels and obscenity.” He added, chillingly, if she survived, the Taliban would try to kill her again.

Malala Yousafzai knew this was her reality, the world she lived in, the world in which she was growing up, and the childhood that would shape her life. Yet, she spoke out -- bravely, loudly, and clearly. This is the world around you. There are things happening in places you've never heard of, from the Congo and Haiti, to Pakistan. Unimaginable things. Freedom isn't free; it's earned -- over and over again. This 14-year-old girl was lauded for her bravery in standing up for the right of girls to receive an education, amid rising fundamentalism, when few Pakistani adults would do so; as a result, the Taliban shot her on her school bus to send a clear message of intimidation. But we can never allow ourselves to be intimidated. Speaking out may cause you to become alienated, lose some friends, or possibly your life. But remaining silent in the face of evil leads to worse consequences. As Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." So speak up when you see something wrong. Speak loudly and clearly. Post it. Share it. Spread the word. That's why I write blogs like this one. First, you must inform people before you can rally them to act. Malala Yousafzai is a model for us all.

Malala Yousafzai

UPDATE #1: Malala remains in intensive care at a military hospital in Peshawar, recovering from surgery to remove a bullet lodged near her shoulder, where it had moved after entering her head. Doctors describe her condition as critical and the next 48 hours as crucial. Although preparations were made to fly her abroad, a military source reported she was unfit to travel.

"In attacking Malala, the terrorist has failed to grasp that she is not only an individual, but an icon of courage and hope who vindicates the great sacrifices that the people of Swat and the nation gave, for wresting the valley from the scourge of terrorism," Pakistan's top military officer, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said.

President Barack Obama called the attack as "barbaric" and offered air ambulance services. White House press secretary Jay Carney said U.S. forces stand ready to offer transport and treatment to Malala Yousafzai.

UPDATE #2: Malala was flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England. On October 19, her doctors said she can now stand for the first time since the attack and is communicating by writing. A tube in her trachea prevents her from speaking, at present. She wanted the photo below to be published. She is aware of the worldwide attention her shooting has received and wanted to thank people for their support.

The bullet did not penetrate her skull. Instead, it entered her head near her left eyebrow, then traveled under the skin surface down the side of her head and neck. Shock waves from the bullet shattered a bone in her skull, and fragments were driven into her brain. She will need reconstructive surgery to repair the damaged part of her skull and possibly her jaw.

Her doctor said, "She seems to be able to understand; she has some memory.... She's able to stand. She's got motor control, so she's able to write."

The Taliban still insists it will kill Malala. They fear a 14-year-old girl because she dares to speak out and write. In contrast, Malala, the bravest girl in the world, continues to write, even from her hospital bed, unintimidated by these murderous scum.

Now, I will warn the Taliban: If you are successful in your promise to kill Malala, the civilized world -- from which you have removed yourselves by this and previous actions -- will not rest until the Taliban itself is eradicated from the face of the Earth. You have not silenced the truth; you have unleashed it.

Still Available!

eBooks!

Until now, my books have only been available in print
editions and in Kindle format for e-books. But now you can read these great books below in EPUB format for Apple iTunes, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Inktera, and Smashwords. Here are links to the EPUB versions:

eStorybooks

Author Keith B. Darrell has coined the phrase “eStorybook” for individual short stories published in eBook format.

Sometimes you want a full-course dinner; and other times you just want a candy bar. For those times when you can't squeeze in a novel, you can still fit in an eStorybook ... on your smartphone, during a cigarette break, or on the train ride home, you get a complete entertainment experience in a bite-sized portion timed for your busy lifestyle.

Keith's eStorybooks cross multiple genres and are written for varying ages.The stories come in all different lengths - as long as 15,000 words or as brief as 2,000 or less. The wonderful thing about short stories is length is not important (that's why they're called short stories); it's the beauty of the prose and the impact of the story that readers value. And what a value!

Click on any book cover to download the eStorybook from Amazon's Kindle store. For less than the price of a candy bar!

International Sales

Cops and Robbers

Quirky Crime Drama!

Cops and Robbers "Grim cover"paperback

Cops and Robbers

A pair of FBI agents set up a bogus movie production as part of an unlikely sting operation to snare a mob kingpin. They buy the worst script in Hollywood and hire a failed movie producer whose career is on the skids; a third-rate aging actress whose claim to fame is having performed Shakespeare… on a cruise ship; an amphetamine-enhanced screenwriter; a hooker; a Yiddish-speaking accountant; a black, flaming gay actor; and a Native American actor who insists on dressing like an Old West dime store Indian. However, throughout the course of the film, the mobsters and one of the FBI agents become so enamored by the glitter and glamour of Hollywood that they actually end up working together to try to make the movie a success. Our hero is a hitman in search of the redemption he doesn't believe he deserves. He realizes the fake film was never meant to be produced and develops a conscience believing it's wrong to allow the innocent actors and film crew to spend months of their lives working on a movie no one will ever see, despite the delusions of everyone else involved. Knowing their hopes and dreams will be dashed, our hero sets about trying to do the right thing.

The 25th Hour

Mackenzie Mortimer is a typical junior high geek: shy, awkward, late with his homework, and always late for class. He's never got enough time to do everything he needs to do; after all, there are only 24 hours in a day. But when Mac finds his grandfather's pocket watch, he discovers his days have an extra hour. The eccentric inventor's journal reveals the watch can add up to 60 minutes to a single day by freezing time around whomever controls it. When a crisis looms for Mac and his friends, time is running out... but fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else.

The Tomorrow Paradox

The Tomorrow Paradox: Book Two in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer

After confronting the mysterious time traveler who had been stalking him, Mac's pocket watch was destroyed. Now Mackenzie Mortimer’s troubles are just beginning! Mac finds himself a stranger in a strange land, surrounded by familiar people he doesn’t really know, with only Gemma, a 15-year-old clone, to guide him through the labyrinth of the future. Will the mysterious black, iron key unlock the secrets to returning him home, or is it a harbinger of his impending doom?

Time is running out... but fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else.

All the Time in the World

All the Time in the World: Book Three in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer

Mac has left Gramps' diary behind in the future and Victoria Carmichael's ex-husband, Jeremy Bentaine, has stolen it along with Gramps' journals. Now, Bentaine Industries seeks to be the sole possessor of time travel technology... and that means eliminating Mackenzie Mortimer before he discovers the pocket watch! But Mac has followed Gramps' trail to WWII Nazi-occupied Belgium, where he must use his future technology to stay alive, locate Gramps, and unite a pair of star-crossed lovers. The horrors of WWII that Mac encounters will change him forever, but if the Bentaine family has its way, forever will be a very short time for Mackenzie Mortimer!

Time is running out... but fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else.

Halos & Horns Fantasy Series

Paved with Good Intentions

Exiled on Earth, naive angel Gabriel and amoral demon Lucifer, in the human guise of “Gabe Horn” and “Lou Cypher”, form an unlikely partnership as private investigators in Las Vegas. Their adventures take them across the seven heavenly realms, into the nine levels of Hell, through the dream realm of the Dreamscape, and even through time to Camelot. Along the way, the pair encounter a wickedly funny assortment
of angels, demons, witches, warlocks, vampires, and other supernatural creatures.

Meet some of the most imaginative characters in contemporary fantasy, including an intriguing array of protagonists (Miss Twitch, a Salem witch; Emma, a British schoolgirl and witch-in-training, and Morgan Summers, a Dreamwalker) and antagonists (sadistic witch-hunter Nathaniel Thornhill, a golem, a Paiute Shaman, the corporate vampires of Nosferatu, Inc., trampires, gangsters, and nefarious demons). Some of the vampires include Sharon - she’s Jewish, crosses don’t bother her; Pandora - trouble follows her like a shadow; Claude - he’s too claustrophobic to use a coffin; and Artemus - a 10-year-old boy who’s been a vampire for nearly 457 years. But the real stars are the ultimate odd couple, Gabriel and Lucifer, whose comedic banter and improbable escapades will amuse and thrill readers and leave them asking for more.

And a Child Shall Lead Them

Picking up where Paved with Good Intentions left off, the second installment in the the Halos & Horns fantasy series finds the angel Gabe Horn and demon Lou Cypher facing the Dark Gods in their bid for domination of the multiverse; Lilith, the mother of all succubi; and Armageddon! Ditzy vampire Pandora is dating a werewolf! Resident witch Samantha gives birth to Alaric, but is his father Lou or the warlock Mordred? All your favorite characters are back, along with some intriguing new arrivals. And meet the kids: Emma the Cockney witchling; Siofra, the Irish changeling; Asabi, the African emere; Kaya, the Japanese hypnalis; and Artemus, the boy vampire. But how long can even these supernatural children survive now that the ancient child-devouring succubus Lilith walks the Earth once more?

To Hell in a Handbasket

Picking up where And a Child Shall Lead Them left off, the third installment in the the Halos & Horns fantasy series finds the angel Gabe Horn and demon Lou Cypher questioning their roles, as each embarks on a personal journey to discover his humanity.

The cast of characters must adjust to the changes brought about at the conclusion of the previous installment. With the Devil taking charge of Heaven, Gabriel rebels, searching for answers in the most unlikely of places. As Samantha ponders his proposal, Lucifer finds himself a reluctant ruler. Síofra, the Irish changeling, must adjust to life hiding from Alaric in Japan with the ingénue Kaya, unaware of the girl's deadly secret. A familiar figure rises from obscurity to seize the reins of power at Nosferatu, Inc., while Morgana le Fay seeks vengeance for the fate of her son, Mordred.

The Witches' Cauldron

Picking up where To Hell in a Handbasket left off, the fourth installment of the Halos & Horns fantasy series finds the angel Gabriel and the demon Asmodeus fighting for their lives against usurper Baphomet and his demonic horde in his bid to take dominion of Hell; Lucifer brought for judgment before the Eternals for the murder of Cholestra, keeper of the Sands of Time; and the witch Samantha Twitch joining forces with her sisters Drusilla and Calliope against the sorceress supreme Morgana le Fay and her Dark Fae minions. Will teen witch Emma regret her decision to stand by the changeling Damien? Can Damien find a way to halt his rapid aging? Will the critically injured Detective Mordecai survive? And if not, will he take the secret of his daughters to the grave?

An attack on Nosferatu, Inc.'s Japanese headquarters by the ancient vampiric demons known as the Empusae not only threatens Lady Chiyoko's territory, but will change the young hypnalis Kaya's life forever. Meanwhile, one character must journey back in time to 17th century Salem in search of the secret to defeating Morgana le Fay. But what other secrets does the Salem coven hold? No one is safe. As the Halos & Horns saga draws to its conclusion, who will survive?

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (Act 1, Scene 5). A naïve angel and amoral demon discover the truth of Shakespeare's words, when a wager between God and the Devil lands them on Earth. In the guise of Las Vegas private eyes "Gabe Horn" and "Lou Cypher", the archangel Gabriel and trickster demon Lucifer embark on personal quests of their own in search of their humanity. Their personal journey is also a physical one, spanning both time and dimensions, through the centuries to Camelot and 17th century Salem, exploring the seven Heavens, the nine levels of Hell, the Dark Dimension of the ancient Dark Gods, Thenesia - an ancient land of swords and sorcery, the somnolent realm of the Dreamscape, and the eerie emptiness of Limbo.

Beneath the prosaic veneer of urban life, mortal humans live in blissful ignorance alongside preternatural and supernatural creatures: warlocks and witches, vampires, werewolves, the Fae, kitsune, and creatures whispered of in myths of African, Irish, and Japanese cultures. Seers gaze at the Sands of Time as the golden grains tumble through the mystical hourglass, seeking to divine what the Fates have woven. Through these memorable characters and exotic settings, the author explores the nature of good and evil, free will versus predetermination, man's inhumanity to man, universal versus moral relativism, nature versus nurture, loss of innocence, coming of age, death, love and friendship, the quest for power, individualism, sacrifice, and faith versus doubt, among other literary themes. This Omnibus Edition collects all four volumes in the Halos & Horns fantasy saga, replete with 61 new color illustrations; the "Guide to the Halos & Horns Multiverse" detailing each character, place, and object; previously unpublished essays by the author; and the novelette The Pandora Chronicles, a preview of the forthcoming spin-off trilogy, Fangs & Fur.

Available in softcover and hardcover editions.

Flashbacks

Pandora's a carefree party girl who just happens to be a vampire. With her best friend Sharon Mordecai, a hybrid vampire; her boyfriend Cody Fenris, a werewolf; and Cody's sister Lupe, who transforms into a wolf, they run Nightstalkers Inc., a private detective agency. Pandora and Sharon also belong to Nosferatu, Inc., a worldwide corporation set up to provide relocation services for vampires, who cannot remain in one place indefinitely, lest the "breathers" question why they never age. Other Nosferatu members include 10-year-old Artemus, the boy vampire; ex-KGB operative Valentina Petrovna; the maladroit, claustrophobic vampire Claude Gauthier; the vagrant "trampire" Seamus Callaghan; and the corporation's international board of directors: Lady Chiyoko in Japan, Callum in Australia, Isra in Dubai, Amadi in Africa, Magda in Hungary, and its CEO, the mysterious human known only as Remick. First introduced in the Halos & Horns fantasy saga, these vampires and lycanthropes have their own stories to tell. These tales in Flashbacks shed light on their dark pasts while sowing the seeds for the next two books in the Fangs & Fur trilogy. They can be enjoyed as individual vampire and werewolf stories, or read by Halos & Horns fans to learn more about the characters populating that saga, or viewed as the prologue to the story about to unfold in the Fangs & Fur trilogy.

Shards

Keith B. Darrell traverses multiple genres and dimensions, guiding the reader to a wondrous universe of speculative fiction in which he has loosed the gremlins of his imagination. Leading the reader through realms of fantasy, horror, science fiction, satire, nostalgia, urban fiction, and other genres, he has tapped into the zeitgeist, chronicling the exploits of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations. His tales hold a funhouse mirror up to society and force us to recognize ourselves in the reflection. Filled with pathos, they cross all genres and are alternately poignant, nostalgic, humorous, cautionary, and even terrifying. Keith B. Darrell’s stories flow effortlessly. Do not be deceived. They are raw. They are politically incorrect. And they will take you from your comfort zone into a modern day Twilight Zone.

Available in two versions: the original 542-page Shards and the new 740-page Shards Omnibus Edition with nearly 200 pages of new material.

Randoms

An Collection of Speculative Fiction from One of Today's Most Compelling Authors!

Out of Print.

A lonely ghost pursues an unrequited love... A farm boy falls in love with his neighbor's cow... The arrival of a spaceship filled with alien children disrupts a small town... A cockroach is crucified on Christmas Day... A reporter interviews a garrulous building... A space traveler engages in a dangerous liaison with an alien female... A woman awakens with amnesia and a dread sense of impending doom... Facing a fire-breathing dragon, a barbarian learns a hidden truth... An angel and a demon vie for the chastity of a young man... Private eyes are hired by a man to track down his own murderer... A woman's dreams shape her reality... A drunken Irishman makes an unwise bargain with a leprechaun...

An anthology of tales that push the envelope of speculative fiction!

2009 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist!

Softcover and Dust Jacketed Hardcover editions.

Issues In Internet Law

The 11th edition of Issues In Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law has been updated for 2017 with the latest cases and trends in Internet Law. The new edition not only has an expanded glossary, and expanded statute and case indexes but a new chapter devoted to the NSA's spying on Internet users and a first look at the European Union's Right to be Forgotten court ruling and its aftermath.

Reviews:

"Although it deals with the complex legal issues surrounding the Internet, it is written in layman's terms and illustrated with 'ripped from the headlines' court cases." (Amazon)

"The concepts and issues are presented in a way that is sufficiently rigorous but very easy to read, making the book one I can recommend." (Computing Reviews) * "A valuable resource, well-researched and well presented."

"I want a copy on my bookshelf always within arm's reach."

"The anecdotal nature made it easy to understand the underlying legal concepts."

"It is imperative that schools adopt this book in a way which would help young students gain knowledge about the various issues involving the Internet." (Indian Journal of Intellectual Property Law)

"Issues in Internet Law: Society, Technology, and the Law will be a welcome addition in both academic and public law libraries... It should be acquired by libraries for its concise overview of Internet-related legal issues." (Law Library Journal)

Collected Essays of a Reluctant Blogger

Collected Essays of a Reluctant Blogger is available for purchase both in the United States and in the European Union. It can be ordered from Amazon in the
United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. Collected Essays of a Reluctant Blogger is 332 pages of social commentary and humor, featuring a selection of my best blog columns from the first three years, 2011-to-2013.

Putting Your Business on the Internet

There are certain basic concepts that you as a small business owner need to understand before engaging a web designer to build your website. Putting Your Business on the Internet: Your Website, Your Web Designer, & YOU! fills the gap between the designer and the client, providing the contextual background necessary for the small business owner to understand both the limitations of web technology and certain elements and fundamental principles of website design. Anyone considering hiring a web designer to build her site should first read this short book from cover-to-cover!